One Stop Shop: A look into the 917th one shop at a time

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Crystal Marie Jordan
  • 917th Wing Public Affairs
Barksdale Air Force Base, La. --  In the present age of technology and fast-paced communications, the era of paper, pencil and ink is far behind us.

A good day in the office does not begin without the smooth and successful startup of a computer. This statement rings true on the grounds of Barksdale Air Force Base, La., home to the 917th Wing.

A startup error, a frozen screen or a missing file is an emergency which may put a damper on deadlines that need to be met.

And in the event of emergency, the 917th Wing calls on the Airmen who work in the 917th Mission Support Group Client Support shop.

The Airmen who work in the Client Support shop perform a balancing act between everything running smoothly and putting things back into working order throughout their duty day.

"The most important thing to us is getting that person on their computer," said Master Sgt. Rodney Jones, a client support administrator for the 917th Wing Mission Support Group.

"Sometimes, we (have) 60 issues a day that we have to take care of," said Sergeant Jones. "Airmen need their equipment to work right and to work right now in order to get their jobs done, and that's what we do. We do it all."

"We are responsible for everything from the point that the network wire leaves the wall," said the technological guru.

Unit cell phones, computer based training and network and email configurations are listed under the administrators' responsibilities along with, the inventory, installation and configuration of computers.

Network issues and information protection add onto this already daunting list of tasks assigned to these personnel.

On average, this three-person shop bears a responsibility that seems absolutely endless and to those on the outside looking in, it may seem overwhelming. To the client support shop, it's just another day at the office.

With all that these Airmen do, it's easy to see why this shop plays a fundamental part in the foundation of the 917th Wing.

Once in a while, these ever-working computer gurus take a break to flex their technological muscle and break from the norm.

"There are times when we have to rebuild computers," Sergeant Jones said. "We can take an empty shell, rebuild a computer, from the ground up, and install all of the software ourselves."

The Airmen of the 917th Wing, both Air Reserve Technicians and Traditional Reservists are tasked with completing vital missions every day. The skills, knowledge and abilities of the client support shop aid those Airmen in accomplishing those missions which stand before them every day.